Dayton edges Cincinnati in baseball 4-3

DAYTON, Ohio – Trailing by three runs entering the ninth inning, the University of Cincinnati baseball team scored two runs and put the tying run on first base, but the Bearcats were unable to plate the tying run and fell to the University of Dayton, 4-3, Wednesday [...]]]> Associated Press

Dayton edges Cincinnati in baseball 4-3

DAYTON, Ohio – Trailing by three runs entering the ninth inning, the University of Cincinnati baseball team scored two runs and put the tying run on first base, but the Bearcats were unable to plate the tying run and fell to the University of Dayton, 4-3, Wednesday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Stadium.

The loss dropped Cincinnati to 11-7 on the season, while the Flyers upped their record to 9-11.

Both teams started slow offensively combining for just four hits through three innings, but Cincinnati struck first in the fourth.

Sophomore T.J. Jones lined the first pitch of the fourth inning through the right side for a single and two batters later, Jones moved to second base on a hard single to the shortstop by junior Chris Peters. On a double steal attempt, Peters moved up to second base, but Jones was thrown out at third base, leaving a runner on second base with two outs. Senior Jimmy Jacquot delivered a clutch two-out single through the left side to score Peters from second and put Cincinnati in front, 1-0.

The Flyers, who had failed to capitalize in the first and fourth innings with runners on first and second and nobody out, took advantage of a Bearcats error in the fifth to score their first run. With two outs in the inning, Jimmy Roesinger reached base on a fielding error and moved to third base on a single to right field by Zach Jacob. During the next at-bat, a passed ball allowed Roesinger to score, knotting the game at one run apiece.

Another Bearcats miscue in the sixth inning kick started a UD rally in which the Flyers scored three runs to take its first lead of the game, 4-1.

UC struck in the ninth on a one-out double by Jacquot, which scored senior Kevin Johnson from first base, bringing the tying run to plate in sophomore Kendal Coleman. Coleman hit a sharp line drive to third base that was snagged out of the air by Roesinger. Junior Justin Riddell extended the game on a RBI-single through the left side to plate Jacquot and cut the deficit to one run, 4-3, but the rally ended on a fielder’s choice, giving the Flyers the 4-3 win.

Junior Nick Johnson pitched well in his second start of the season, giving up four hits and one unearned run while striking out three in 5.0 innings of work.

Peters, Jacquot, and Coleman led Cincinnati with two hits apiece, while Jacquot drove in a team-best two runs.

The Bearcats close out their five-game road trip March 26-28, when UC heads to Villanova, Pa., to meet the Villanova Wildcats in its first BIG EAST Conference series of the season. The series begins at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, March 26.

Dayton guard Marcus Johnson (32) gets a rebound against Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates, right, in the second half during a second-round NIT college basketball game Monday, March 22, 2010, in Cincinnati. Dayton won 81-66.

CINCINNATI — Rob Lowery led an early 3-point barrage that built a 17-point lead, and Dayton held [...]]]> Associated Press

Dayton guard Marcus Johnson (32) gets a rebound against Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates, right, in the second half during a second-round NIT college basketball game Monday, March 22, 2010, in Cincinnati. Dayton won 81-66.

CINCINNATI — Rob Lowery led an early 3-point barrage that built a 17-point lead, and Dayton held on for a rough-and-tumble 81-66 victory over Cincinnati in the second round of the NIT on Monday night.

The Flyers (22-12) made eight of their first 12 shots from behind the arc to get the big lead, and survived a second-half Cincinnati comeback before pulling away to their most lopsided win over the Bearcats in 25 years.

It was only their third win over Cincinnati in their last 17 games in the southwest Ohio rivalry.

“I had fun out there,” said Chris Wright, who scored 11 points. “When you’re playing against guys you know, you know they’re going to play a lot harder. It’s for bragging rights. It felt like high school all over again.”

Dayton will play at Illinois in the quarterfinals Wednesday, extending a season that held a lot of disappointment. The Flyers were picked to win the Atlantic 10, but blew a lot of leads and suffered a lot of close losses, finishing seventh.

“They’ve been knocked down so many times and they keep getting back up,” coach Brian Gregory said. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of these guys. We told them this would be a test of character and pride and how much the program meant to them. They’ve answered that and today they might have put an exclamation on it.”

Cincinnati (19-16) was prone to long shooting slumps all season, and managed only two field goals during a 10-minute span in the second half. After cutting the 17-point deficit to 44-43, the Bearcats could never make that final push.

“Same story again,” coach Mick Cronin said. “Once we got close, we couldn’t make a shot. We kept missing open shot after open shot.”

The Bearcats set the NCAA tournament as their goal — a place they haven’t been since 2005 — but faded down the stretch and finished 11th in the Big East.

Dayton brought its pep band, cheerleaders and a lot of fans, turning it into a high-energy game in front of 6,479 fans. The Flyers got the best of it early, pulling ahead 34-17 by hitting open 3s. Senior guard Deonta Vaughn scored Cincinnati’s last 11 points in the half, cutting it to 41-36.

Vaughn finished with a season-high 28 points and passed Danny Fortson for third on the school’s career scoring list. He got a standing ovation when he left the floor in the final minute.

“My four years have been great,” said Vaughn, who finished with 1,885 points. “I learned a lot about basketball. I matured a lot since I came here and did a lot of great things to try to help this program get back to where it needs to be.”

The Bearcats were caught flat-footed at the start, outplayed by a Dayton team that had a lot more enthusiasm.

“We definitely underestimated them,” said freshman Lance Stephenson, who said he would return for another season. “We knew they played hard, but we didn’t know they played with that much intensity.”

9:00 PM ET, March 22, 2010 Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats (19-15, 7-11 BIG EAST), the No. 2-seed in the “Illinois” bracket of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), face No. 2-seed Dayton (21-12, 8-8 A-10) in the second round at home in Fifth Third Arena [...]]]> Staff and Wire Reports

9:00 PM ET, March 22, 2010 Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats (19-15, 7-11 BIG EAST), the No. 2-seed in the “Illinois” bracket of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), face No. 2-seed Dayton (21-12, 8-8 A-10) in the second round at home in Fifth Third Arena on Monday, March 22 at 9 p.m. after knocking off  Weber State, 76-62 on Wednesday in the first round. The Flyers advanced to play UC after beating Illinois State, 63-42.

After a four-year hiatus, the University of Cincinnati will meet Dayton for the 90th time — UC’s second-oldest and third longest rivalry in program history. The Bearcats own a 59-30 advantage in the series and have won 14 of the last 16 meetings dating back to the 1989-90 season — UC’s first in Fifth Third Arena. Cincinnati won the last outing on Dec. 22, 2005, 81-63, in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic behind a combined 40 points by Devan Downey (21 pts.) and James White (19 pts.)

The Flyers enter the contest 21-12 overall and are coming off a 63-42 First Round NIT victory over Illinois State. Dayton ranks in the Top 25 in the nation and first in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding margin (plus-6.1) and ranked in the Top 35 in the NCAA in scoring defense (61.7 points per game). In fact, the Flyers have held 25 of their 32 opponents below their scoring average. In A-10 and NIT postseason play, Marcus Johnson has led UD averaging 14.3 points per game while shooting .500 (15-of-30) from the field.

Earning the No. 2 seed in the region, Cincinnati has been on a roll of late, winning three of its last four games. The Bearcats are19-15 overall and 11-4 at Fifth Third Arena this season. UC is led by the trio of 2010 BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Year Lance Stephenson (12.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg), senior guard Deonta Vaughn (11.2 ppg, 3.5 apg), and sophomore forward Yancy Gates (10.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg). The Bearcats are 8-9 all-time in NIT play, including a mark of 6-2 at home.

Xavier's Terrell Holloway, center, fights for a loose ball with several Dayton players in the second half during an NCAA college basketball quarterfinal game in the Atlantic 10 men's tournament in Atlantic City, N.J., Friday, March 12, 2010. Xavier defeated Dayton 78-73.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Xavier (No. 24 AP) is going to the [...]]]> Associated Press

Xavier's Terrell Holloway, center, fights for a loose ball with several Dayton players in the second half during an NCAA college basketball quarterfinal game in the Atlantic 10 men's tournament in Atlantic City, N.J., Friday, March 12, 2010. Xavier defeated Dayton 78-73.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Xavier (No. 24 AP) is going to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament, thanks to a great comeback and a silly slap by Dayton senior guard Rob Lowery.

Terrell Holloway hit a go-ahead three-point play with 1:22 remaining and second-seeded Xavier rallied from a 15-point deficit in the final 10 minutes to defeat Dayton 78-73 on Friday night in a game marred by a late technical foul against Lowery.

“We let it slip away so it’s hard to take,” Dayton coach Brian Gregory said after Flyers (20-12) saw their hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament all but end.

The play that will haunt Gregory and his team was the technical against Lowery with 33.6 seconds to play and Xavier (24-7) ahead 70-68.

Lowery had dribbled the ball just over halfcourt and called time out. As he turned to go to his bench steps away, Holloway walked over and slapped the ball out of his hands.

Lowery took exception and swung at him in a slapping motion right in front of official Brent Hampton, who immediately told crew chief Joe DeMayo. He watched the play on videotape and then told both coaches he was calling a technical, which did not make Gregory happy.

Gregory admitted he did not see the play. Lowery was not brought into the post-game news conference.

“I just hope they’re right because that’s a crucial call,” Gregory said. “I have no problem with a call being made on Rob if his action is inappropriate. But if it’s a response to something that occurred after the whistle, then something has to be called on that as well. If they’re right, then they’re right. I didn’t see it, I just hope they’re right.”

Holloway felt he did nothing wrong.

“One of my old coaches told me if a guy is just standing with the ball try to swipe at the ball,” said Holloway, who scored 14 of his 22 points in the Musketeers’ game-closing 32-12 run. “He probably thought I was trying to foul him so he kind of threw a punch at me.”

Holloway hit the two free throws to push the lead to four points and he added two more with 32.4 seconds to go after he was fouled again and it was never close again.

Jordan Crawford added 20 points and Jason Love had 17 points and 10 rebounds as Xavier won its eighth in a row.

“We had to keep fighting, staying with it,” Love said. “The worst thing you can do is stop fighting and give up. We kept fighting and were able to get a win.”

Marcus Johnson had 18 points and Chris Wright had 17 to lead seventh-seeded Dayton (20-12). Lowery added 14.

Xavier, which is looking for its first conference title since 2006, will face third-seeded Richmond on Saturday at Boardwalk Hall.

Xavier limited Dayton to just three field goals in the final 10:36 and all three came in the final 72 seconds. The last two were scored in the final 13 seconds when the game was decided.

Dayton controlled the game for the first 30 minutes and went ahead 61-46 on two free throws by Josh Benson with 10:37 to play. The conference’s preseason favorite then went ice cold, hitting 3 of their final 14 shots while turning the ball over six times.

“They made big plays, Crawford and Holloway,” Wright said. “They stepped up big. When it’s time to step up, players step up and they did that.”

Holloway hit a 3-pointer to get Xavier going, Crawford followed with a three-point play and Holloway added three more free throws to close the gap to 61-55.

After Wright hit two free throws with 7:25 to go, Mark Lyons hit two free throws to ignite a 9-2 spurt that got the Musketeers within 65-64 on a short bank shot by Holloway.

After Kurt Huelsman made 1 of 2 free throws with 2:56 to play, Crawford tied the game with a floater in the lane 31 seconds later.

Holloway gave Xavier the lead for good with a drive around the left lane for a three-point play.

Nine of Dayton’s losses in 2010 have been by five points or fewer.

Dayton shot nearly 54 percent from the field and held Xavier to 37 percent shooting in the first half in taking a 40-35 lead.

6:30 PM ET, March 12, 2010 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

Xavier enters the Atlantic 10 tournament wanting to atone for losing in the semifinals three straight years. It may be an added bonus that its first game is against the last team to knock off the Musketeers.

After earning a share of the [...]]]> STATS LLC

6:30 PM ET, March 12, 2010 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

Xavier enters the Atlantic 10 tournament wanting to atone for losing in the semifinals three straight years. It may be an added bonus that its first game is against the last team to knock off the Musketeers.

After earning a share of the regular-season crown, No. 24 Xavier looks to put aside its recent poor history in this event Friday in Atlantic City, N.J., as it tries to hand archrival Dayton a damaging blow to its NCAA tournament hopes.

The Musketeers (23-7) won seven straight since a 90-65 road loss to the Flyers (20-11) on Feb. 6 to tie No. 17 Temple for the title. They are seemingly assured of a fifth straight NCAA berth but would like to end a disturbing trend of winning their first game and losing the next in the A-10 tournament.

“It’s definitely a motivating factor for me in my last go-around to get this Atlantic 10 championship,” said center Jason Love, the team’s lone senior. “I’ve been there three straight years, and I’d be lying to you if I told you I didn’t want to get to that championship game and hold that trophy up. I’ve seen it the past three years, guys hoisting that trophy. That’s something I want to do.”

Xavier is 4-0 against Dayton in the A-10 tournament, eliminating the Flyers in the quarterfinals in 2007 and 2008. Another such result would likely end the NCAA chances of a Dayton club that began the season with high expectations.

The Flyers were ranked 21st in the preseason and favored to win the A-10 before finishing seventh. They lost five of seven to close the season and were booed off the floor after Saturday’s 71-66 home loss to Saint Louis.

Dayton is trying to stay positive after advancing to the quarterfinals with a 70-60 victory over George Washington on Tuesday.

“I know our expectations are high and we haven’t met those yet,” coach Brian Gregory said. “Frustration levels will rise and I understand that. For our seniors to win 20 straight games in three straight years is an unbelievable thing.”

One of the few bright spots for Dayton was its rout of Xavier last month. The Flyers shot a season-high 56.4 percent and held a 42-24 rebounding advantage to avenge a 78-74 road loss Jan. 16.

Now it’s the Musketeers who want revenge.

“I hate to say any loss is a good thing, but I think our team kind of woke up in UD Arena that afternoon,” guard Dante Jackson said. “From that point forward, we’ve taken a look in the mirror and said we’ve got one of two ways to go, and we decided to go in the correct direction.”

Xavier has played outstanding defense since, limiting opponents to 40.1 percent shooting during this win streak. That’s complemented the A-10′s top-ranked offense in points per game (79.9) and shooting percentage (47.0) that features Indiana transfer Jordan Crawford, averaging 19.7 points to rank second in the conference.

The winner will face Richmond or Massachusetts in Saturday’s semifinals.

First-round Atlantic 10 Tournament

George Washington 60, Dayton 70 DAYTON, Ohio — Marcus Johnson scored 16 points and Dayton used a late nine-point run to defeat George Washington 70-60 Tuesday night in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.(Full Story)

Duquesne 71, St. Bonaventure 83 OLEAN, N.Y. — Chris Matthews tied his career-high [...]]]>

First-round Atlantic 10 Tournament

George Washington 60, Dayton 70
DAYTON, Ohio — Marcus Johnson scored 16 points and Dayton used a late nine-point run to defeat George Washington 70-60 Tuesday night in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.(Full Story)

Duquesne 71, St. Bonaventure 83
OLEAN, N.Y. — Chris Matthews tied his career-high with 28 points and Andrew Nicholson scored 25 as St. Bonaventure defeated Duquesne 83-71 on Tuesday night in the first round of Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.

Saint Joseph’s 76, Rhode Island 87
KINGSTON, R.I. — Keith Cothran and Lamonte Ulmer scored 15 points each to help Rhode Island defeat Saint Joseph’s 87-76 on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.

Massachusetts 59, Charlotte  56
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ricky Harris scored 24 points and Massachusetts pulled ahead late for a 59-56 victory over Charlotte on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

La Salle 54, Dayton 68 DAYTON, Ohio — Marcus Johnson had 16 points and Dayton scored 19 straight points late in the second half to pull away from La Salle in a 68-54 victory on Thursday night. (Full Story)

No games scheduled for this day in the Atlantic 10

Massachusetts 84, Duquesne 80 Associated Press PITTSBURGH — Ricky Harris had 22 of his 29 points after halftime and Massachusetts overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to snap a three-game losing streak with a 84-80 overtime win over Duquesne on Thursday night.

No Games Schedule Today

Fordham 61, St. Bonaventure 72 Associated Press OLEAN, N.Y. — Chris Matthews hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead St. Bonaventure to a 72-61 victory over Fordham on Wednesday night.

Richmond 69, Rhode Island 67 Associated Press KINGSTON, R.I. — David Gonzalvez scored 19 points and Richmond defeated Rhode Island 69-67 on Wednesday night.

Charlotte 47, Dayton 75 Associated [...]]]>

Fordham 61, St. Bonaventure 72
Associated Press
OLEAN, N.Y. — Chris Matthews hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead St. Bonaventure to a 72-61 victory over Fordham on Wednesday night.

Richmond 69, Rhode Island 67
Associated Press
KINGSTON, R.I. — David Gonzalvez scored 19 points and Richmond defeated Rhode Island 69-67 on Wednesday night.

Charlotte 47, Dayton 75
Associated Press
DAYTON, Ohio — Chris Wright scored a career-high 30 points Wednesday to lead Dayton to a 75-47 victory over Charlotte, tightening the Atlantic 10 race. (Full Story)

Upcoming Games:

Thursday, February 11th
Massachusetts at Duquesne
7:00 PM ET, February 11, 2010
A.J. Palumbo Center, Pittsburgh, PA

The Flyers lopsided victory against Xavier was played while a sellout crowd of over 13,000 fans watched.

DAYTON, Ohio — Chris Johnson started Dayton‘s opening 17-3 run on Saturday, and the Flyers led by double-digits the rest of the way in a 90-65 victory that knocked Xavier out of first place in the [...]]]> Associated Press

The Flyers lopsided victory against Xavier was played while a sellout crowd of over 13,000 fans watched.

DAYTON, Ohio — Chris Johnson started Dayton‘s opening 17-3 run on Saturday, and the Flyers led by double-digits the rest of the way in a 90-65 victory that knocked Xavier out of first place in the Atlantic 10.

Dayton (16-6, 5-3) was picked to win the Atlantic 10, but came into the game needing to split its season series with Xavier — the three-time defending champion — to stay in contention. The Flyers had lost eight of their last nine against the Musketeers (16-7, 8-2).

Johnson led a balanced offense with 18 points. Chris Wright added 17 and nine rebounds.

Xavier got into foul trouble fast and never recovered, finishing with its most lopsided loss of the season. Senior center Jason Love picked up two fouls in the opening 64 seconds, and backup Kenny Frease joined him on the bench at the 16:37 mark.

Jordan Crawford led Xavier with 24 points.